Creative Talent Programme

Current mentors

Creative Talent Programme Artist Mentors 2021-22

Since 2009, our Creative Talent Programme has been responding to a growing need from emerging and early career artists to develop their artistic skills alongside vital business and strategic awareness. A major part of this strand of work is pairing industry mentors with our chosen artists to assist in their skills development, building their connections and providing invaluable advice.

See below for a full list of our current mentors who have been paired with our 2021-22 CTP artists Jordy, Scar and Chiyana.

David Bartlett (Writer & Director)

David Bartlett is a writer and director, originally born in Bristol. David began his career as the Second Unit Director on the BBC film Happy Birthday Shakespeare and his first film drama short The Goodbye Plane – starring Edward Hardwicke and Dudley Sutton – was reviewed by Derek Malcolm for The Guardian as “a very beautiful film – very, very nicely directed”. The film was long-listed for the Academy Award for Live Action Short in 2004.

Alongside episodes for hit American series such as Locked Up Abroad and Paranormal Witness, David has directed TV films My Eternal Contract and Convenant of Hate featuring stories of cult abuse – the latter winning the CSC Award for Best Cinematography 2014. He has also directed the BBC’s prime-time Casualty and written and directed acclaimed dramatizations of The Great Train Robbery (“Absolutely compelling” London Evening Standard) and The Assassination of JFK (“A momentous story, crisply told…” London Evening Standard; Pick of the Week, Daily Telegraph; Pick of the Day in The Guardian, The Daily Express and The TV Times). David also made TV feature documentary Trial of the Knights Templar and was recently lead writer and director on Race For The White House for CNN and Netflix.

David is currently mentoring Scar Ward on her upcoming short film project ‘Quiet Hands’, for more information on Scar’s work and interests please click here. 

Tabby Lamb (Writer & Performer)

Tabby Lamb is a non-binary writer and performer based in East London. She is equally inspired by Carly Rae Jepson and Tennessee Williams, and strives to tell stories that explore the intersections between popular culture and politics.

Their debut solo show SINCE U BEEN GONE, which Tabby wrote and performed, premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2019, after previewing at the Gate Theatre. The show was spectacularly received by audiences and garnered a glowing 4* write up from the Guardian who called the play “bold, honest and swollen with love”.

They were part of the Soho Theatre Writers Lab and the LGBTQ Arts Review #RaisingOurVoices scheme for queer and trans writers, Oxford Playhouse Playmakers scheme, and Oli Lansley’s Writing for Stage and TV course. She is also an associate artist for Middle Child and Theatre Royal Stratford East.

They are currently under commission at The Unicorn Theatre, The Place and Kilter, Pentabus and 45North. Alongside their passion for writing, Tabby is a facilitator and runs creative arts projects for people from the LGBTQ+ community. They also founded Theatre Queers & can often be seen advocating for Trans Rights across their social media platforms and beyond.

Tabby is currently mentoring Jordy as they create a documentary piece of film art discussing LGBTQ+ voices in sport. For more information on Jordy’s work please click here. 

 

Dennis Morris (Photographer)

Dennis Morris is a British photographer, best known for his images of Bob Marley and the Sex Pistols. Dennis started his career at an early age. He was 11 years old when one of his photographs was printed on the front page of the Daily Mirror. A camera fanatic since the age of 8, Dennis was known around his East End neighbourhood as Mad Dennis, due to his preference for photography over football. After inadvertently stumbling across a particularly feisty demonstration by the PLO one Sunday, the sharp young Dennis took his film to a photo agency on Fleet Street who promptly sold it to the Daily Mirror for £16. Accustomed to raising money for films and camera parts by taking photos of christenings and birthday parties, Dennis was suddenly on to something; his hobby and all-consuming passion could be done for a living. 
 
It was whilst bunking off school to wait for Bob Marley to arrive for soundcheck at the Speak Easy Club on Margaret Street, that Dennis’s music photography career really began. Marley, quite taken with the young teenager who was waiting for him, invited Dennis to come along and take pictures on the remainder of the tour. Running home to Dalston, Dennis packed his bag and jumped on the bus. His photographs of Marley and The Wailers became famous the world over, appearing on the cover of Time Out and Melody Maker before Dennis had even turned 17. 

Dennis is currently mentoring Chiyana as she explores how to destabilise the stigma surrounding mental illness within the Black community in her work. If you want to learn more about Chiyana’s work click here.